The second you step foot in New Orleans, you realize very quickly: It doesn’t just host a Super Bowl, the entire city morphs into the biggest event in the sports world. The energy? Absolutely unhinged. The streets? Alive. The bars? Overflowing. And like a lot of Eagles and Chiefs fans I met this week, the city has zero chill.
You don’t just attend the Super Bowl in New Orleans, you get swept up in it, devoured, and spit back out. It’s why many around the NFL were buzzing around the streets saying the same thing: New Orleans needs to host every year.
And then — in the middle of all this madness — there’s A.J. Brown. Just standing there on Julia Street, a few blocks from the Eagles’ hotel, cool as ever, hanging with a few family and friends, soaking it all in. It’s his first Super Bowl, his first chance to take a deep breath before the biggest game of his life. But while the rest of the city is raving about the tremendous food and music, Brown remains unshaken. He’s focused. He tells me the Eagles aren’t getting caught up in the madness, that it’s all about the game.
New Orleans has a way of pulling people in and makes them forget about whatever else they had going on. But for Brown? The party can wait. There’s a championship to win.
While the Eagles and Chiefs stayed locked in on their preparations, the rest of the league kept the news cycle buzzing. Here’s what I’m hearing (and seeing) around the league, the Super Bowl edition:
• Sorry Browns fans, Myles Garrett is not bluffing
• Why the Rams are moving Cooper Kupp
• The latest on Brock Purdy’s upcoming extension (which is happening)
• Kirk Cousins’ injury problems went way beyond his Achilles
• What Derrick Henry is thinking as he enters a contract year
• Terron Armstead is figuring out what’s next
• Why Jerry Jones says Brian Schottenheimer was the right hire
• The Saints’ Kellen Moore plan
Browns aren’t budging on Garrett, yet
Make no mistake, Myles Garrett didn’t come to New Orleans just to soak up the scene. He’s got a plan, and he’s sharing it loud and clear: He wants out of Cleveland.
The 29-year-old Browns star says he’s not interested in another rebuild. He wants a team that’s closer to competing, closer to winning now. Garrett told ownership and the Browns’ top brass weeks ago that they aren’t all on the same page.
Meanwhile, Cleveland is playing hardball. Teams from both the NFC and AFC have been calling and the response from Cleveland’s front office? “We are not moving him… but stay tuned.”
Publicly, the Browns are standing firm, but behind the scenes? This isn’t a smoke screen. Sources close to Garrett say he’s not bluffing. And if you read between the lines of his statement earlier this week — in which he threw GM Andrew Berry’s own words right back at him (“The goal was never to go from Cleveland to Canton, it has always been to compete for and win a Super Bowl”) — it’s obvious: Garrett doesn’t believe that title chase is happening in Cleveland.
What’s next? Garrett knows the league’s biggest decision-makers are all in town. If a blockbuster trade is going to happen, this is where the wheels start turning, and I’d expect teams chasing Garrett want to get a trade done by the start of the new league year on March 12.
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Kupp’s Rams run coming to a close
Cooper Kupp isn’t in the dark — he knows the Rams are shopping him. And with teams already making calls, this thing could move fast. If a deal is struck, expect it to happen before March 14, when certain contractual deadlines start kicking in.
For years, Kupp has been the heart and hands of the Rams’ offense — Super Bowl MVP, Matthew Stafford’s security blanket, the guy who turned in a historic triple-crown season in 2021. But L.A. is at a crossroads. It. has cap issues, aging stars and an identity that’s shifting. Trading Kupp isn’t about his talent — he’s still an elite route-runner and one of the most reliable receivers in the league — it’s about money, longevity and the Rams’ long-term plans.
So what’s the market for Kupp? Complicated. He’s 32 in June, coming off an injury-plagued season and carries a hefty contract that not every team is willing to take on. But for a contender looking for a high-IQ, elite possession receiver who can still make defenses miserable? There should be a trade partner.
Brock Purdy is entrenched as the franchise quarterback in San Francisco. (Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
A Purdy extension is inevitable
The 49ers fell out of contention earlier than expected this season, which, naturally, set off another round of will-they-or-won’t-they when it came to Brock Purdy’s massive contract extension. Let’s clear this up right now: They will get it done. And the 49ers aren’t dragging their feet — the team wants a deal soon and have started conversations with Purdy’s camp.
This was always the plan. The Niners have never wavered on Purdy as their franchise quarterback, not after his breakout run, not after leading them to a Super Bowl, and definitely not now after a disappointing 2024 season. But if you need one more endorsement, just ask Fred Warner, who couldn’t wait to talk about Purdy earlier this week:
“If you truly watch the tape and you watch all the other elite quarterbacks in this league, there’s a common thread amongst all of them: The fact that they’re able to process the game at such a high level, able to create plays with their feet, and make the high-level throws up and down the field. Brock Purdy does all these things. And he was in the MVP conversation a year ago—let’s not forget that he took us to a Super Bowl and he gave us the lead before, obviously, Patrick Mahomes and them took it away from us.
“Everybody out there, if you have any questions about Brock Purdy, I’m here to tell you — I’m not biased, I know ball — he’s the guy.”
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How Kirk Cousins was really feeling
If you watched Kirk Cousins last season and thought, something just looks off, you weren’t wrong. But here’s the scoop: It wasn’t his Achilles.
After that devastating Achilles tear ended his 2023 season, Cousins spent all of 2024 working his way back. And by his own account? The Achilles itself actually felt pretty good last season. The real issue? Everything else.
“The challenge I had was — and it sounds strange to say — it was like the rest of my ankle still needed to figure out how to be an ankle again. And that’s what I was working through, especially early in the season. But then I took a hit against the Saints in Week 10 that messed with my shoulder and elbow. So now, I had the right ankle, the shoulder, the elbow — there was a lot I was working through. That was hard.”
Cousins gets a full offseason to finally get his body right. But with Michael Penix Jr. stepping in and impressing late last season, Cousins’ future in Atlanta suddenly isn’t as locked in as it once seemed.
Cousins will be 37 in August, but if you ask him, he’s far from done. He points back to 2014, when he struggled as Washington’s starter before grinding all offseason and breaking out in 2015. In his mind, he can do it again in 2025.
The only question now: What uniform will he be wearing when he gets that chance?
If Derrick Henry has his way, he’ll have plenty more chances to meet and greet Ravens fans. (Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
Henry all-in on Baltimore
Derrick Henry just wrapped up a monster first season with the Ravens — 1,921 rushing yards, the second-best total of his career — and with his contract set to expire after 2025, the big question is: What’s next?
On the NFL Honors red carpet Thursday night, I went straight to the source. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t give a cryptic we’ll see what happens. He said exactly what Ravens fans wanted to hear: “I love Baltimore. I want to finish my career in Baltimore.”
I’d expect the Ravens to explore a contract extension.
What’s next for Terron Armstead?
New Orleans was Terron Armstead’s first NFL home, a 2013 third-round pick of the Saints. The Miami Dolphins left tackle returned this week while taking some time to figure out his next move.
Armstead is expected to meet with the Dolphins’ front office soon to discuss his plans for 2025. He’s 33 and carries a cap hit just north of $22 million in each of the final two years of his deal, so the decision isn’t simple. The Dolphins just drafted Patrick Paul in the second round last spring, a clear sign they’re thinking about the future of the left tackle position.
Combine that with Armstead’s injury history, and his future in Miami feels very much up in the air. As for Armstead, he shared with me earlier this week that retirement is also on the table.
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Jerry Jones “shocked” the Cowboys aren’t in the Super Bowl
The Dallas Cowboys didn’t just fall short in 2024 — they collapsed. Jerry Jones spent the offseason preaching that the team would be “all-in” on a championship run, then did almost nothing in free agency to back it up. The result? Dak Prescott got hurt and the Cowboys stumbled to a 7-10 record. Mike McCarthy walked away after an awkward contract negotiation and Jones then promoted Brian Schottenheimer from OC to head coach, a clear sign that Jones values familiarity. The owner told me he’s fully confident in his decision to promote Schottenheimer, pointing directly to his deep experience and family lineage as major factors.
“I looked at 25 years of being on many staffs in the NFL,” Jones said. “I looked at sitting around that dinner table with his daddy, Marty Schottenheimer, and I know what osmosis does. It doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
As for Jones’ own shocking moment? Not playing in this Super Bowl.
“I wouldn’t have signed Dak Prescott, the highest-paid player in the NFL, if now wasn’t when we wanted to win. This is a shocker to be here at this Super Bowl and not have the Cowboys here. I didn’t plan on that when I made that agreement with him. So we’re going to do everything we can to get there.”
Jones also mentioned taking “some pretty serious risks on talent,” but if the biggest gamble was running it back with the same core and hoping for different results, that’s not exactly a high-stakes play.
The reality? No one else is shocked the Cowboys aren’t here.
The Saints waiting for Moore
And finally, the Super Bowl confetti may still be floating around when the Saints lock in on their next head coach. Based on conversations around New Orleans, all signs point to Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore getting the job.
Moore, stepping into his first-ever head coaching role, won’t be going at it alone. The plan? Surround him with experienced, veteran assistants who can help him navigate the steep learning curve that comes with leading a franchise for the first time.
For New Orleans, this hire signals a fresh offensive direction — one the Saints desperately need after an up-and-down season. Now, the real question is: Can Moore bring out the best in this Saints roster and finally get this team back into serious contention?
(Top photo: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
